From Our Readers

From Our Readers

I started running in 2004, ran my first marathon in 2005 (Chicago), second marathon six months later in spring of 2006 (Nashville), completed my first triathlon in summer of 2006, ran on a team for the Reach the Beach Relay in New Hampshire in 2006 where I experienced a horrible injury, was sidelined for four months.

Inaugural hike: "I have been living in Vienna, VA for 2 1/2 yrs. & have yet to experience the true beauty of this area until now. Ordinarily I'd be meeting with potential clients but I found myself free and I decided to meet up w/ friends at the Billy Goat Trail in Great Falls. I have never really hiked before so I didn't know what to expect. I met great people, saw beautiful scenery, and learned that I really like hiking which fits really well into my dynamic wellness lifestyle."

Why triathlons? In a word, I compete in triathlons for the catharsis. It's not about the challenge, or the competition, or the accomplishment. It's about expending myself physically in a way that rejuvenates me emotionally.

Tell us about your team: Team Luna Chix DC was formed in 2007 as a group of women triathletes looking for opportunities to exercise & share a healthy lifestyle with other women. As a new Team Luna Chix, we are encouraging women in the DC area to Get Out and Play, 'tri' something new. We come from varying backgrounds and have varying goals in the sport, but as a Team we are dedicated to building a Luna community in the DC area!

I had worked hard as a college student in California to gradute with an architectural degree. When I finally did so, I moved to the East Coast to go to Columbia University to get my Masters in Architecture and Urban Design, and then continue along that career path. I was excited about the direction I was taking, but then I started in the field, and found architectural glory - and personal satisfaction - to be pretty elusive. I worked on some large and important projects for some big firms, but the stress and the endless hours were larger than my then twenty-something self had anticipated starting out. At times, I even felt trapped. For me, architecture was just not a pretty picture.

I am a 60 year old solitary long distance bike rider who does sponsored, supported rides for charity. I ride around south west Houston and its environs and manage about 150 miles per week. I also workout in the gym and with a trainer (crazy former Marine guy) for 10 hours a week. I recently raised $2000.00 for the Coalition Fund for Breast Cancer Research on a 600 mile ride from New Orleans, Louisiana to Memphis, Tennessee.

Star Mitchell: “39+ and holding". I am a retired Montgomery County high school teacher and live in Bethesda, MD…” I started kayaking in 1985 but started rowing around in a row boat in the Bay in FL when I was 9 years old and started canoeing as a Girl Scout when I was about 11 or 12. I. I spend most of my time kayaking, biking (I am on the C&O Bike Patrol for the US Park Service), hiking, contra dancing, and partying with my many friends and time with my children and granddaughter (age 11).

I recently returned from a six month Odyssey around the world. 360 degrees, 180 days, 14 countries, and one bag. It all seemed so flippant. Here I was jetting off, leaving all responsibilities and “reality” behind, to do what? Live life to the fullest? I put off that mortgage, two and a half kids and the picket fence for a backpack, two and a half months worth of Malaria pills and no limit to where I would “find myself.”

My story: In December 2005, while I was training for my first marathon, my neck swelled out and I was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Intravascular Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma. Intravascular Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma, is a rare subtype of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, where disease is in the veins and arteries that go to the heart.

My story: I grew up ski racing from age 5 to 19 and retired from the U.S. Ski Team due to a nagging shin injury. I was thoroughly frustrated with the sport and needed to get away from it before I lost my passion for skiing forever.